The Hope That Christmas Brings
by animechick999
Summary: Mokuba finds himself in a repeated pattern of being rather upset at his older brother who consistently refuses the innocent plea's for a better holiday season for the two of them. When Mokuba rebels and finds someone who brings hope for a new family, will Kaiba be on board with it, or will Kaiba struggle to shake off his Scrooge ways? Is there hope that Kaiba will change for good?
1. Let It Snow

**A/N:** This has been on my mind for a while now. I originally wanted to have this done and on on Thanksgiving day, however, travelling, shopping, family, and just life in general got in the way, so I'm sorry if this is completely terrible haha. Oh, and on another side, since I am American, these characters are going to stick to a lot of American traditions. I'm doing this for the sake of me not wanting to pull my hair out due to cultural differences. If you aren't familiar with some of the references, like Black Friday, NFL Football, etc., please ask me, or you could always Google them. The second option might be easier and faster.

**I DO NOT OWN YU-GI-OH!**

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Chapter 1- Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow

The first snowfall of the season arrived early in Domino City. It was only Thanksgiving morning and usually the first snow would appear far closer to Christmas. Much of Domino was surprised by this sudden weather pattern, especially the weathermen that were constantly reporting it. This kind of weather sparked Holiday excitement. People were now delighted and eager to await the arrival of Christmas. With Black Friday shopping being tomorrow, people would be exceptionally excited about the Holidays.

Everyone but one lonely soul….

Seto Kaiba sat in his usual spot in his enormous mansion, his office in the west wing. Most people on Thanksgiving morning would be preparing for a large dinner with their families, travelling to visit loved ones, or even deer hunting at dawn. Not Seto Kaiba, however, he was working briskly as if today was just another normal day in his busy life. Kaiba never enjoyed holidays as much as some people did, like his brother, Mokuba, for example. Mokuba loved practically every holiday. The young teenager had such an authentic spirit about life that made Kaiba slightly envious, wishing he could be more like his brother in that way. Yet, no matter how hard Kaiba had tried he just could not look at life that way. He had been through too much pain in his life that the simple things had become complicated. The fact that Kaiba had no one in his family but Mokuba made Thanksgiving and Christmas difficult holidays to celebrate. They didn't have parents or anyone else to celebrate with. It was a situation that was challenging for both of the Kaiba brothers.

Kaiba preferred to keep the holidays simple, and Thanksgiving was no omission to that. Thanksgiving for the Kaiba brothers consisted of a meal and that was it. No travelling, no deer hunting, no watching NFL Football, and absolutely _no_ hectic, wild and absurd Black Friday shopping the next morning. Mokuba had pleaded with him multiple times before about making Thanksgiving and Christmas more thrilling, however, Kaiba refused every time his kid brother had asked. Today, Kaiba was sure would be no different. Mokuba would ask to do something and he would decline. This wasn't because he didn't want to please his brother; it was just because Kaiba didn't have the spirit for it. He was nothing but a lost soul, and that was something that chilled him to the bone, like knowing a fate that cannot be changed.

Taking his first delicious sips of his morning coffee, Kaiba heard the pitter patter of fast moving feet making their way down the long hallway of the mansion. His mahogany office door burst open and Kaiba's raven-haired little brother made his was up to his elder with an extra large smile slapped onto his innocent face.

"Seto!" Mokuba bellowed, "There's snow outside! Look! Look!"

Smirking at his kid brother's appearance, Kaiba saw that Mokuba's hair was messy and he was still in his bright blue pajamas. The first thing Mokuba must've done was look out his window. The exhilaration in his pale gray eyes made Kaiba wonder where Mokuba had generated all of his excitement. Kaiba knew it sure wasn't him. Snow, or weather in general, never seemed to rouse the elder Kaiba, however, it thrilled Mokuba for no given reason other than the fact that he was so light-hearted about everything.

"I already saw it when I woke up this morning," Kaiba said, taking another sip of his warm pick-me-up.

"We have to build a snowman, Seto! This is just too awesome to pass up!" Mokuba's smile grew and his eyes seemed to emit eagerness. It was Mokuba's eager and pleading eyes that made it tough for Kaiba not to cave into everyone of his younger brother's demands.

Kaiba put up a stern front, "Mokuba, I am very busy."

The raven-haired teen frowned and crossed his arms, "You are _always_ busy. Seto, it's Thanksgiving _and_ there is about 4 inches of snow outside. Today is about being a family, so let's do something fun, like build a snowman! We can even name him after you if you wanted."

There was silence for a few moments before the elder chose to reply, "I'm preparing for tomorrow."

'_Urgh, Black Friday is tomorrow….'_ Mokuba thought, _'Revenues will be through the roof tomorrow morning and the preparation for it can be difficult. No matter what I say he will refuse it.'_ Regardless of the nagging disappointment that Mokuba felt, he still attempted to talk his brother out of his treacherous and tedious work, "Seto, why don't you just take a break? There is a reason why most workplaces are closed on days like today, so that people get a chance to be with their families. Everyone needs time off, and I know you need it more than anyone. In the end, you'd probably appreciate it."

Kaiba stole another sip from his coffee while he mused over his little brother's viewpoint. It would be a good thing for him to get a break, however, there was just too much to do and Kaiba couldn't afford the time off. The holidays were the busiest time of the year, especially for corporations. Being the CEO of Kaiba Corporations made free time excruciatingly problematic to obtain.

Setting his coffee mug down slowly and taking a deep breath, Kaiba replied in his most caring voice he could muster at the moment, "Mokuba, I am just too occupied with work right now. I will see you for our Thanksgiving meal at twelve-thirty, alright?"

Mokuba wanted to scream at his brother! Seto never wanted to do anything with him anymore! It was almost as if he didn't want to be a family anymore! Mokuba would make sure that his brother knew what it felt like to have a loved one gone all of the time.

Taking a few steps back, Mokuba shook his head, his eyes burning with a fiery dissatisfaction, and finally he made his way out of the office, leaving his brother to take a long, burning gulp of his coffee.

* * *

The snow looked beautiful as it fell to the ground in dwindling, swirling circles. The white, sparkly fluff swooshed under his black boots, leaving footprints to follow him wherever he went. The wind was slight yet fair enough to hit his bare face in just the right way to make his skin gain goose bumps.

Mokuba had walked from the Kaiba mansion all the way to Domino City's downtown park. The park sparkled with life. Children were running around, throwing snowballs at each other, couples were holding hands and taking a stroll, people were out walking their dogs, and families were spending time with each other. Happiness emitted from the park, and it made Mokuba gloomy and furious. Why couldn't his ignorant brother realize that life wasn't _just _work!? Life was spending time with your family, and in Seto's case, his _only_ family. Mokuba would never understand why Seto decided to tie himself down to Kaiba Corp. all of the time. It was a life that Mokuba would never choose in a million years….

Crouching over, Mokuba gathered a small chunk of snow in his hands and formed it into a ball. Swinging his arm back, Mokuba took aim at a nearby tree and threw the snowball as hard and as fast as he could. The snowball hit the tree and stuck to it perfectly. _'That felt good,' _He thought, getting the bottled up anger out of his system. Picking up more snow from the frosty ground, Mokuba bunched it and took aim once again, chucking the snowball with all of his might. The snowball made contact perfectly, except….

"Ouch!"

….it hit the wrong target.

"Oh my gosh!" Mokuba shrieked, "I'm so sorry!" He ran over to the woman who was the unfortunate receiver of his anger-driven snowball. She was kneeling on the cold ground, holding her left cheek with shaky hands. Her hair was the color of the freshly fallen snow and was a mess from the snowball that had just made contact.

Mokuba kneeled down next to her, "I'm so terribly sorry, miss, I didn't mean to hit you!" She was shaking and quite. Mokuba asked, "Are you alright?"

Her soft blue eyes looked up at him and she smiled slightly but sweetly, "I'm alright. I didn't mean to cross your snowball path, it's my fault."

"No, no, you didn't know! I shouldn't have been throwing snowball's in a park packed with people in the first place," Mokuba enlightened, "how is your cheek?"

She slowly let her thin hands fall from her face. Her pale facial features were all red on the left side of her face, "How does it look?"

Mokuba frowned, "It's pretty red…. I'm so sorry…."

She smiled again, "Don't you worry about it."

The young Kaiba stood up and offered out his hand, "Let me help you up."

She took his offer and thanked him, brushing the snow out of her frazzled hair and off of her tattered clothing as she stood.

Mokuba took in the sight of her. She was wearing an old, patched up brown jacket, a pair of ripped up and scrubby blue jeans, and shoes that were not fit for the snow at all, they contained various holes and Mokuba could see her discolored socks underneath. The strangest thing to Mokuba was the dirty, off-color tape that was wrapped tightly around the palms of her hands and down her wrists.

"I'm Mokuba," he let out his hand for her to shake.

She took his hand once again and shook it meekly, "Kisara."

The young boy smiled brightly, "That's a nice name! It's nice to meet you, Kisara."

"You too, Mokuba."

"Sorry again for hitting you, I truly did not mean to."

Kisara let out a soft giggle, "Seriously, Mokuba, don't worry about it one bit, I'm fine." She smiled to give Mokuba a little reassurance, "Honestly, it's just nice to have somebody to talk to."

Mokuba cocked his head to the side in confusion, "What do you mean?"

Kisara laughed, "No one wants to talk to a homeless person, Mokuba, except you…."

Mokuba was still confused, sure the clothes explained her situation but the fact that no one would want to talk to her was beyond him. Kisara seemed so nice. A person would be a fool not to chat with her, "Why don't they want to talk to you?"

Kisara was silent for a few moments before replying flatly, "I'm homeless. People don't care about me."

"Not even other homeless people?"

Kisara frowned slightly and shook her head, "Not even them. Most homeless keep to themselves, or at least the ones that I've met."

"Where is your family?" The curious boy asked.

Kisara's frown deepened, "Now, that's a story for a different time…."

Mokuba still wanted to know, "Do you have a family?"

The white-haired woman simply shook her head; "I haven't seen my family in years."

Mokuba's gray eyes fell to the snow-covered ground, "Oh, I'm sorry…."

Kisara decided to ask the questions this time, "Where is your family, Mokuba?"

The young teen looked into her deep blue eyes, they reminded him of the only family member he had. That only family member didn't even want to spend time with his brother on Thanksgiving. Kisara lacked a family and would probably be joyous to just have one person to call family. Seto had that and didn't even want to enjoy it! Mokuba shook his head to keep himself from getting angry and sad once again, "My family doesn't really want to spend any time with me today…."

"Not even on Thanksgiving?"

The raven-haired teenager shook his head and dropped his gaze to the frosty ground once again.

Kisara felt sympathy towards the young man and placed a thin hand on his shoulder, with her other hand she tilted his head up so he was looking her in the eyes. "It'll all be okay, Mokuba, I promise."

Her blue eyes were extremely promising and Mokuba's face lightened up, "Are you sure about that, Kisara?"

She smiled, "Yes, I am. We can never lose hope. Things will get better." She let go of his face and shoulder and gently patted him on the back.

A few moments passed without either one of them saying anything. Mokuba decided to ask Kisara another question, "What're you doing for Thanksgiving, Kisara?"

"Nothing," she said.

Mokuba quickly grabbed her arm and looped theirs together, "Want to come have Thanksgiving with me? We can be family!"

_Family_? Was Mokuba being serious? Meeting a random stranger and asking them to come and have Thanksgiving with him, was he crazy? He even asked a homeless person nonetheless! Mokuba defiantly had to be losing his mind!

"Uh…. Are you sure about this, Mokuba?" Kisara asked.

Mokuba smiled and nodded at her, "Of course I am!" He began walking her back towards the Kaiba mansion.

The biggest smile formed across Kisara's soft face. She had just found hope.

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**A/N:** Okay, I hope you enjoyed this! Please review! Tell me what you think! Thanks!


	2. No Place Like Home For The Holidays

**A/N:** I'm updating sooner than I thought due to the fact that I wanna complete this story by Christmas, or at the very latest sometime around Christmas. I hope you all are enjoying this and please review, it helps me out as a writer and your input is **much** appreciated!

**I DO NOT OWN YU-GI-OH!**

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Chapter 2- Oh There's No Place Like Home For The Holidays

The aroma of rich, ready to eat Thanksgiving food filled the Kaiba mansion with a glorious, mouth-watering scent. The beautiful dinning room was decorated in autumn colors and the food looked prime as it sat delicately on the dinning room table. Candles and baskets of fruit were laid out throughout the room, and the silk dinner cloth contained no wrinkles. Napkins made of red velvet were folded flawlessly, and there were many sets of silverware laid out next to the exquisite China plates. The maids had set out everything perfectly, however, according to Mr. Kaiba, everything was not perfect….

"What do you mean he's not here? Where did he go!?" Seto Kaiba shouted into his Iphone, "Well find him!" He hung up abruptly and slammed the device into his pocket. The angry CEO paced the length of the enormous dinning room, stomping his feet in fury. The maids had quickly dispersed from the room leaving their furious boss alone.

'_Where in the world could Mokuba have gone?' _Kaiba thought, _'Why would he just leave?'_ A thought suddenly struck Kaiba and he remembered their conversation earlier that morning. Mokuba had wanted him to play in the snow and Kaiba had refused him. The elder had refused him many times before, was this just that one time that had pushed Mokuba over the edge? This made Kaiba even more frustrated at the situation. Nervously, he checked the time. It was twenty after twelve. _'Where is he?'_

* * *

"Oh my…." Kisara muttered under her breath. Before her was a magnificent mansion. It had to be the most dazzling thing she had seen in a long time. "Mokuba…. you live…._ here_?"

The raven-haired teen smiled up at her, his gray eyes glistening, "You betcha!"

"You've gotta be kidding…." Kisara was completely stunned. How could she have gotten so _lucky_? Waking up just this morning was difficult enough knowing that so many families would be able to eat and she could not, but now there was _hope_, and a great amount of it! What did she do to deserve this? What did she do to meet this kind boy?

"I'm not kidding," Mokuba replied, he pulled on her arm, "Come on let's go inside, it's freezing out here."

Kisara just simply nodded, her mouth was open in slight shock. Her feet seemed to move automatically toward the mansion.

The two made their way inside through the front doors. Kisara stood there, unmoving. She was completely overwhelmed by the foyer. The marble floors and wide, winding staircase were elegantly breathtaking. There was a huge crystal chandelier dangling from the ceiling, shining brightly and beautifully throughout the foyer. The windows were extraordinarily large and had white silk curtains draped all around them. Kisara had seen nothing like this before in her entire life. She was completely stunned by the massive place.

"Are you going to take off your shoes and your jacket, Kisara?" Mokuba questioned.

She blinked and turned to him, "Huh?"

"Are you going to take off your shoes and your jacket?" he repeated.

She stared at him before replying, "Uh…. Yeah…." A maid came over to claim their snowy belongings and handed the two of them white slippers to wear.

"Thank you," Kisara said.

"Oh dear," the maid squealed, "look at your socks, they're full of holes! Your poor feet must be chilled to the bone! Let me fetch you a fresh pair!" Before Kisara could thank the woman again she zipped away into another room.

"Mokuba, you don't have to do this," Kisara said, "You're hospitality is too kind and you shouldn't have to do this on a day like today."

"A day like today? You mean on Thanksgiving?" Mokuba asked.

The white haired woman nodded.

Mokuba let out a small, simple chuckle, "It's totally fine. I want you to be here. You deserve something to be thankful for, and I'm pretty thankful that my brother and I can have a guest over for dinner. This sort of thing never happens."

Kisara cocked her head and shot Mokuba a quizzical look, "Why don't you usually have guests over?"

Mokuba gave her a sad smirk, "It's kind of hard to explain."

The maid quickly returned with a fresh pair of white cotton socks, and Kisara slipped them on happily, handing over her old pair to the maid.

Mokuba checked the time. It was forty minutes after twelve. Seto was not going to be happy. His older brother was one for always being on time, and not to mention the fact that Mokuba had brought a guest, his brother was sure to be in a sour mood. He turned to Kisara and said, "Quick, put your slippers on, we're late for dinner."

She nodded and gracefully slipped her feet into the cozy, warm footwear. Kisara suddenly felt her numb toes spring back to life after so long. It was a reviving feeling; one that she was thankful for after having been frozen for so long.

The two hurriedly made their way through the extensive and sophisticated hallways until they found the dinning room. Mokuba pushed open the two exceedingly fine-looking mahogany doors. Instantly, Kisara's mouth began to water and her stomach stirred, longing for the sweet, delectable food that she had gotten a lovely whiff of. Her large blue eyes had focused on nothing else but the wonders placed so precisely on the attractive wooden table in front of her. She could hardly contain herself; she wanted nothing more than to make a run for the food. Hunger had burned her for so long, and she had not had a morsel to devour in ages. She brought her thin hands to her face and dug her filthy fingernails into her pale skin. She knew that it was extremely impolite to dig in without the proper right to, but starvation was the demon inside her, making her insides cry out at the sight of food. The fingernails that were plunging into her skin were the only things that had restrained her. Unconsciously, her feet took a few steps towards the table.

Mokuba turned to her, "Kisara, are you alright?"

She continued to stare, eyes wide and longing desperately for the wonderful food before her. She swallowed consistently to keep her mouth from overflowing. She didn't hear Mokuba's question, her survival instincts had kicked in.

"Mokuba?" A gruff voice questioned, "Who is she?"

Mokuba didn't answer right away, he watched Kisara curiously. She seemed to be in some sort of trance.

"Mokuba!" The other voice demanded.

"Uh…." Mokuba wasn't sure what to say, "This is Kisara…. She's a new friend."

Kisara did not look at them as they mentioned her name. She was hypnotized by the food in front of her. Her feet moved unconsciously again, as she closed in on the dinning room table.

"Kisara," Mokuba said, "Would you like to sit down?"

No reply.

"Kisara?" Mokuba repeated her name. There was still no reply. He walked up behind her and touched her shoulder. She didn't move. She didn't even flinch. She just stood there, staring.

Mokuba moved in front of her, blocking her vision. Her eyes averted themselves away from the table and gazed into Mokuba's concerned, gray eyes.

"Are you alright?" The young Kaiba asked.

She took a deep breath, the scent of the food filling her lungs, causing her mouth to water even more. She swallowed hard and answered him, "Yes, sorry…. Its just that…. It has been so long since I've seen food like this or…. eaten…."

Mokuba was shocked by her honesty, however, he thought deeply about it and realized that he had absolutely no idea what it was like to be starved. Kisara's survival nature must've kicked in, making her act the way she did. He smiled sweetly and took her hand, leading her to a seat.

She sat down and twiddled her thumbs nervously. She wanted nothing more than to grab every bit of food and shove it deep down her throat, however, that would be rude, especially in such a gorgeous place as this.

Mokuba grabbed one of the two plats that were set out, and placed them in front of Kisara. "Wait right here," he said, "I'll be back in a minute. I'm just going to grab another plate. Don't start without me." As Mokuba was walking out, he gave his brother who was standing in the corner of the room, a serious glance.

Kaiba had a hunch that Mokuba was still upset with him, yet Kaiba had a feeling that Mokuba was giving him the 'be nice' look. He sighed internally and made his way over to the head of the table and sat down.

Kisara was sitting to Kaiba's left, playing with her thumbs. She looked down at fingers periodically, then up at the steaming food. Kaiba guessed that she must have been trying to distract herself from her hunger. He took a good look at her, Kisara was defiantly homeless, Kaiba could assume that much. Kisara's clothes were a complete mess. Holes and dirt were rather apparent on the worn fabric of her shirt and bottoms. Her nails were scummy and there were small smudges of dirt of her face. Her white hair was not brushed and contained several snarls. There were dark bags under her eyes, making her seem ghostly pale, and her body looked severely malnourished. Through the messiness, Kaiba saw something glorious in her deep blue eyes. It entranced him slightly and he found himself peering into the pure blue orbs out of genuine curiosity. She never looked up at him. This bothered Kaiba. It was as if he didn't even exist to her. _She_ was in _his_ house and she didn't even have the decency to acknowledge him!

"Kisara."

He heard her swallow hard as she examined his marvelous blue eyes with her own. It took her a long time to respond, but when she did her voice was just barely above a whisper, "Yes…."

He was about to demand what thought had possessed her to associate herself with his brother, however, her meekness surprised him and Kaiba was shocked by the innocence and unassertiveness in her voice. Kaiba was suddenly at a loss for words. Was this woman truly not after Mokuba because she knew of the wealth that the Kaiba's possessed? Sure, she was homeless, but was she truly a homeless soul? Did she actually have nothing? No family, no friends, _nothing_? Kaiba was skeptical about Kisara, yet, her motives seemed pure and Mokuba was a rather good judge of character, a trait that Kaiba wished he'd had, and he admired his younger sibling for it. Kaiba assumed she didn't have any ulterior motives, however, he couldn't be sure, at least not yet….

"Where are you from?" Kaiba hated small talk. It was something that he found pointless and a huge waste of time, but _this_ was different. If some random stranger was going to eat Thanksgiving with him and his brother in their home, then he _needed _to know about her. Kaiba, strangely enough, felt that demanding things of her was not how he was going to get the information that he desired. She seemed too humble for requests. So, small talk was the approach he used.

"Domino," she replied, "Born and raised."

"I see…." he said, knowing that this was going to be harder than he thought. Nonchalant chitchat wasn't his thing, and he found himself struggling for what to say next. "How old are you?" This was all he could think of. It was terrible, but at least it would give him some information.

"Nineteen," she said. A small smile crept upon her face, "And you?"

Kaiba didn't like this. He didn't want her to know anything about him! This small talk tactic was failing miserably. "Nineteen," he replied flatly.

"I see…." She mimicked him, "You never told me your name, sir."

Kaiba glared at her, she obviously didn't pay any attention to the media, or else she would've known who he was. Then again, she _was_ homeless so she sort of had an excuse. "Seto Kaiba."

She smiled cutely, "Thank you so much for having me. You don't know how much this means to me."

Kaiba grunted, and placed his red velvet napkin onto his lap.

Silence had swallowed them up. Kaiba wasn't about to attempt to talk again, and Kisara was eyeing up the food. He could tell that she was in agony even though she hid it well. Kaiba saw the pained look of desperation from starvation in her facial features and he could tell that waiting to eat was killing her.

Just then, Mokuba walked into the room carrying his plate and eating utensils. "Sorry! I had trouble finding the matching plate, and the maids were cleaning the kitchen, it was kind of difficult to maneuver around," he let out a small chuckle and set his things down. "Let's dig in!"

Plates and saucers of food were passed around the table. Kisara took larger portions than the Kaiba's. Kisara's hands began to shake; she didn't know where to begin. There were multiple pairs of spoons, forks, and knifes and she didn't know which ones to use. She picked the fork closest to her plate and shoved it into the buttery, creamy mashed-potatoes. When the food hit her tongue it was like a frenzy had begun. Her senses screamed out in joy! It was the best tasting food she'd had in a long time! It was the _only_ food she'd had in a long time!

She gulped down her food faster than the Kaiba's had seen anyone do before, and the two of them stopped, mid-chew, to watch her. They were in complete awe; she was really going to town! She shoveled food down her throat like a rabid beast.

Minutes had past and the Kaiba brothers were still staring at Kisara, she hadn't stopped piling food into her mouth. The sight was, in a way, disturbing, yet quite eye opening. The extent of hunger and homelessness she faced on a daily-basis never even touched the lives of the Kaiba's. It was amazing how different their lives were. She had nothing, not even food, and they had literally _everything_. Of course, Kisara wasn't the only one out there who was suffering; there were millions of people who starved everyday. The fact that starvation had just seemed to slip their minds made the Kaiba's feel tremendously grateful.

This moment of realization snaked it's way into Seto Kaiba's conscious. A foreign feeling made his heart skip a beat, and Seto Kaiba, for a moment, actually felt compassion….

* * *

**A/N:** Yep, this is a good place to stop. I know that Mokuba and Kisara never mentioned anything about Kisara's homelessness to Kaiba, but I tired to make it as obvious as I could to Seto that she was, indeed, a bum. Anyway, if you have any questions let me know! Please review! Thank you! Hopefully, I can get a chance to update sooner.


	3. But Baby, It's Cold Outside

**A/N:** MERRY CHRISTMAS! Haha, so I didn't finish this before Christmas, however, I plan to finish it shortly after. So here is Chapter 3! There is an American Football reference, just incase you need to Google something, haha! Enjoy!

I DO NOT OWN YU-GI-OH! (But oh my goodness, how I wish I did, haha)

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Chapter 3- But Baby, It's Cold Outside

After the fabulous dinner, dessert was served. Kisara could barely gobble down her slice of pumpkin pie and cup of hot chocolate. She was so full that she thought her stomach might burst, but she didn't know the next time she'd eat again, so she decided it was best to have dessert. Plus, when would she ever eat such fabulously rich food again? Probably never….

Mokuba licked his lips and wiped whip cream off of his upper lip that was leftover from the hot cocoa. He noticed that Seto had refuse dessert, as usual. The guy seriously needed to live a little, even if it was just dessert, Seto was missing out. This made Mokuba frown. He placed a hand under his chin and stared out the window. His brother needed some sort of revival, a new light in his life.

After pouting for a while and gazing out the window, Mokuba noticed something extraordinary happening outside! The snow was whipping through the air at a fast pace. The backyard of the Kaiba manor was almost impossible to see. They were defiantly in a blizzard that the weatherman hadn't predicted. Snow made Mokuba smile and he turned to his brother to see if he'd noticed. To Mokuba's disappointment Kaiba was on his IPhone, probably skimming through stocks.

Mokuba knew that Seto needed to come back down to reality, "Hey, look! It's a blizzard out there! The forecast didn't predict this! Isn't it awesome!?"

Kisara turned around in her seat to look out the window, "Wow, this weather is quite unusual for this time of year."

Mokuba nodded, "Yeah it is! It means we'll have an amazing Christmas!"

Kisara chuckled at the young teen's gleefulness. He was such a chipper young man, so full of spirit; Kisara could appreciate that.

Kaiba looked up from his phone for a moment, peered out the window, and then fixed his eyes back down to his tiny device.

Mokuba frowned at his elder's actions. It was almost as if Seto had absolutely no passion for anything other than KaibaCorp. Mokuba wanted so desperately to change that. He knew that it was going to be hard but he had to try.

He looked over at Kisara, who was observing the wicked snowstorm outside. She was calm, but Mokuba could tell that there was something bothering her. Maybe she was worried about when she'd eat next? Or maybe she was frightened by the storm, knowing that the shelter available to her was next to nothing. She was probably terrified, knowing that she could freeze to death out there. While he and Seto slept warm, and comfortably in their beds in their mansion, Kisara would be sleeping in a dark alley, or on a park bench, or in a snow bank. This thought sent shivers up Mokuba's spine. He didn't want Kisara to suffer. He knew that he couldn't let her risk getting hypothermia, so Mokuba thought hard and came up with one of his most brilliant ideas ever.

"Kisara," She turned around to look at the young Kaiba, "thank you for eating dinner with us. It was so nice having you."

The white-haired woman smiled brightly, "No, Mokuba, thank _you_! I'm so thankful that you invited me over to eat with you. You're hospitality has been wonderful."

"I'm glad you enjoyed your time here…."

Kisara nodded, "Yes, I did, thank you!"

A small smirk graced the young Kaiba's lips, "…. Cause you'll be staying here for a while."

Seto Kaiba's heart skipped a beat and he was drawn out of his previous thoughts. He dropped his IPhone on the table and it clunked around a couple times before landing.

"What!?" Both Kisara and Kaiba said in unison.

Mokuba grinned wildly, "Kisara, how would you like staying at the mansion?"

Kisara's mouth dropped open, was Mokuba kidding? She had no words.

"You can stay here until the storm goes away, we have a few extra bedrooms upstairs that you could stay in."

"Uhhhh…." Kisara glanced over to the older Kaiba brother. He was glaring intently at his young sibling. His mouth was contorted into a fierce frown, and there was anger blazing in his stern blue eyes. Kisara was afraid to say anything, knowing that it could possibly disturb the older brother.

"It's cold outside, and I know you don't have anywhere else to stay," Mokuba proposed, "So what do you say? Wanna stay here?"

Kisara still didn't say anything, she was scared to speak, terrified of angering Mokuba's older brother any further.

Silence engulfed the room. Mokuba awaited his answer from Kisara, and Kaiba scowled at Mokuba, wanting his brother to stop what he was doing.

"So, Kisara?" Mokuba asked, "Do you want to stay?"

Kaiba snapped, "Mokuba!" He lowered the volume of his voice and snarled out, "Can I talk to you?"

"Sure," Mokuba replied, he didn't move from his seat even after he saw his older brother rising from his.

"In a different room," Kaiba grumbled. Mokuba made no effort to move and this made Kaiba raise his voice, "Now!"

Mokuba jumped out of his seat at this, and followed his brother out of the mahogany doors of the dining room.

When Kaiba was sure that they were out of Kisara's hearing range he turned around and faced Mokuba, crossing his arms over his chest and peering down at him, "Talk."

Mokuba shrugged his shoulders, "What's there to talk about?"

Kaiba frowned, his voice took on an incredible edge that could slice through steel, "Oh, I don't know? Maybe the fact that you just invited a stranger to come and live with us!"

"I don't see a problem with that," Mokuba replied flatly.

Kaiba's frown deepened, "Really?" Sarcasm laced his voice with bitter venom that made Mokuba slightly flinch, "Do you realize what you've done?"

Mokuba didn't reply but placed his hands on his hips and glared at his brother.

"Mokuba," Kaiba said sternly, "inviting a stranger to live here makes _us_ liable to take care of her, and it's not like she has anyone else to feed her! Now _we're_ the ones who are responsible!"

Mokuba raised an eyebrow that somewhat shocked Kaiba. It made Mokuba look sort of intimidating and Kaiba didn't like it. "Exactly! Seto, she has no one to take care of her! We can help her out!"

"No," was all that Kaiba said; his emotions were frozen solid from his icy scowl.

Mokuba frowned; two could play at this game. "Fine, be that way! Don't help people out, be a Scrooge, see if anyone cares."

Kaiba held his stare, not replying to Mokuba's sudden mood change.

"Seto, you don't care about anything that's important in life," Mokuba said. His words were spoken with complete honesty and it shook Kaiba slightly. "You're chasing away the one person who truly cares…."

There was silence. It seemed to surround the brothers in a strange, foreign way.

"…. Don't be surprised when you wake up one day and realize that I've left you behind." Mokuba's words stung. It was as if a thousand bees had pricked Kaiba all at once. He didn't know Mokuba's words could hurt so much, and he didn't realize that his little brother could be this way.

Kaiba balled his fists in irritation and shouted, "Drop the attitude, Mokuba! I care about you! You're _insane_ if you think I don't care!"

"Really!?" Mokuba huffed, "Seto, how many times have I begged you to make Christmas better? How many times have I asked you to do something and you've refused because all you care about is your stupid _company_!"

Kaiba growled, "That's not true."

"Not true!?" Mokuba yelled, "Stop kidding yourself, Seto! You know it's true!"

It _was_ true, and Kaiba knew that. He didn't want to admit it. He couldn't keep fighting with Mokuba like this. They needed to solve the issue in front of them and that was Kisara.

Kaiba took a sharp breath, "Look, I'm going in there and asking Kisara to leave, we can continue this discussion later."

"But I thought _you_ were the one who wanted to talk?" Mokuba laid out more sarcasm and attitude, and it drove Kaiba crazy.

"Not anymore." Kaiba turned and made his way towards the dining room, but a hand quickly grabbed his wrist and stopped him.

Mokuba's voice was low, and dangerous. There was a mixture of anger, hurt, and desperation that made Kaiba freeze in place, "You want this fighting to stop, then let Kisara stay with us. You want to make a difference, then help her out."

Kaiba opened his mouth to protest but was cut off by Mokuba's sudden yelling, "You want to fix our relationship, our family, then make this change Seto!"

Kaiba didn't know what to say at this point, the look on Mokuba's face made him realize how desperate his younger brother was for him. Kaiba now understood that all Mokuba wanted was happiness for their family, but how could he accomplish this? Hadn't he already accomplished this by sacrificing his happiness for Mokuba's when they were just children, letting their stepfather, Gozaburo Kaiba, control everything in Seto's life? Surely Kisara couldn't help; she wasn't the answer, so why did Mokuba want her to stay so badly? Was it just that he needed a companion while his older brother slaved away at KaibaCorp?

Slaved away? That thought made Kaiba shiver at its hidden truth. Seto Kaiba was a slave, a _prisoner_ to his wicked stepfather's company. But Kaiba had changed that company, made it _better_. In the back of Kaiba's mind he knew the truth, Gozaburo had put everything into KaibaCorp, his time, his family, and even Seto. Gozaburo had changed Seto so much that Seto wasn't the same person that Mokuba grew up with. Seto Kaiba was just like a clone of his stepfather, and that's exactly what that evil man had wanted! Kaiba wanted nothing more than to be anything _but_ Gozaburo, however _that_ apparently backfired, and Mokuba had just revealed that truth to him.

So what was he to do? Let some stranger stay in their house in hopes that it'll change the crappy relationship Seto had with his little brother? Maybe Mokuba was right? Maybe Kisara would help? If having her stay made Mokuba happy then maybe he should just let her stay. Mokuba was clearly unhappy now, but with Kisara around he seemed to have a bigger smile on his face. Seto knew deep down that he was a pushover sometimes when it came to his brother. If this made him happy then he'd let the homeless woman stay.

Mokuba continued to stare at his older brother in hopes that he could break through Seto's thick skin.

His arctic eyes glowered into Mokuba's innocent, gray eyes. The stare-down felt like forever until Kaiba decided to cave, "Fine!"

Mokuba smiled cheerfully, "Thank you, Seto!"

"She stays until the storm is over, I will not have my house turned into a homeless shelter!"

Mokuba still smiled gleefully, "Understood," however, there was gleam in his eyes, almost has if he was brewing up some scheme to keep Kisara around.

* * *

Kisara wiped the tears away from her eyes, but they kept flowing down her face. She could contain herself, she was so _happy_! She couldn't believe it! A family actually wanted her! Someone actually cared! It felt amazing to know that she could finally rest peacefully, knowing that she would be safe.

Small sobs erupted from her as she buried her hands in her face. A smile stretched across her face as her salty tears seeped into her mouth. The bitter taste was actually pleasant because they weren't tears of sorrow but tears of joy. She knew that she now owed her life to the Kaiba's for their generosity.

Footsteps in the dinning room made her look up to see them standing over her. Mokuba smiled merrily as Seto Kaiba stood there with a pouty frown on his face and his arms crossed.

Mokuba spoke; his voice was loud and filled with delight, "Kisara, why are you crying!? Don't cry! You can stay with us!"

"R-really?" Kisara stuttered.

"Yep!" Mokuba said, "Only if you want to of course."

Kisara bolted up from her seat and ran over to Mokuba, hugging him tightly, happy tears still streaming down her face. "Of course, Mokuba!" She said with joy, "I would love to! Thank you! Thank you so much!"

The young Kaiba patted her on the back, "Don't thank me, thank Seto, he made the final decision."

Kisara broke the embrace and looked up at the stone cold man standing next to her. She slowly approached him, tears still falling. She gave him a grateful smile, "Thank you Mr. Kaiba. I owe you and Mokuba my life. I never imagined that I would receive the wonderful kindness that you've given me. I am incredibly grateful."

Kaiba didn't say anything; he just stood there, staring at the emotional woman in front of him.

Kisara was afraid to hug him, however, she wanted to give him something back that would try and make up for the gift that he'd given her. Out of the blue, Kisara embraced Kaiba, squeezing him tightly. She felt him stiffen as a reaction to her. He didn't hug her back, he just stood there, slightly surprised. Eventually, he patted her on the back. Kisara let go, figuring that was as much as she'd get out of him.

Mokuba grabbed her hand, "Do you like football, Kisara?"

She gave him a simple nod.

He smiled, "Come on! Let's go watch it! Chicago is playing Green Bay!" He began dragging her out of the dinning room.

"Who do you want to win?" She asked as she followed him out of the glamorous dinning room.

"The Packers!" He smiled, "They're the best! You?"

Kisara shrugged, "I enjoy them both, but I love the New York Giants."

"Why?"

"I'm from New York."

Mokuba stopped walking, "You're an American?"

Kisara nodded, "Yep, born and raised. I lived in Manhattan for a long time."

"How did you end up here?" He asked. What he really wanted to ask was how she ended up homeless when she used to live in Manhattan. He figured that asking that would be a little too insensitive.

"It's kind of a long story," she said, "maybe one for another time."

"I'll hold you to that," Mokuba winked at her.

"Mokuba," a deep voice spoke and they both turned to see Kaiba right behind them, "before watching football why don't you show Kisara to her room, maybe to the bathroom where she can wash up?" He spoke swiftly and sternly, hoping that Mokuba would do what he asked.

"But bro," he whined, "kick off is in one minute!"

"Kick off can wait," Kaiba said, crossing his arms over his chest, "show her to her room."

"How about at halftime?" Mokuba proposed.

Kaiba glared at his younger brother, his voice was etched with a hint of anger, "Mokuba…."

"It's okay," Kisara piped in, "If you don't mind Mr. Kaiba, I could just wait until halftime with Mokuba."

Kaiba would've let Mokuba show her around at halftime, however, he knew how much of a football fan Mokuba was and he knew that Mokuba wouldn't do a throughout enough job because the kid would want to hurry back down to see what the announcers had to say about the game. Plus, Kaiba had a few… _rules _to enforce on Kisara. Maybe it was better for him to just show her around himself.

"Look, I would let Mokuba show you around later, however, I have to get back to work and there are a few things you need to know." Kaiba's voice was chilling. Kisara felt her body go cold.

She nodded knowing that she couldn't say no to the elder Kaiba. He clearly meant business. She turned to Mokuba, "Go watch the game. I wouldn't want you to miss kick off."

"Okay…." Mokuba quietly walked away. He was slightly disappointed that Kisara couldn't watch the start of the game with him.

Both Kisara and Kaiba watched as Mokuba walked away, heading into the enormous family room. Silence made itself apparent for a while before Kisara decided to break it, "You were going to show me around?"

"Humph," Kaiba grumped. He walked towards the huge winding staircase and Kisara followed closely behind.

The second floor was just as amazing as the first, gloriously decorated in fall colors and absolutely rich looking. Kisara had never seen anything like it. The second floor could seriously pass as its own separate house it was so large. There were doors left and right and Kisara felt herself getting lost in the long maze of hallways that jetted out at random corners.

Kaiba led her to a random door at the end of the longest hall. He opened it to reveal an extremely enormous room. Flicking on the lights he stepped in and looked around, Kisara mimicking his actions.

There was a king-sized bed with light blue silk covers next to one wall. A mahogany dresser with a vanity set was placed on the opposite side of the bed on the other wall. The room also contained a plush sofa with a plasma screen television set that hung onto the wall, a walk-in closet, a bathroom, and a magnificent balcony that looked out to the snow-covered backyard.

Kisara's mouth was wide open; she was in awe, again.

"Is this room suitable for you?" He asked.

"Y-y-yes!" She stuttered.

"Check the closet or the dresser drawers for clothes. Hopefully you can find something that fits." He began walking out of the room but paused in the doorway, "You can discard your dirty clothes if you want. They look like they need replacing."

Kisara was slightly confused, "You mean…." She thought for a second, "You're going to give me fresh clothes?"

He simply nodded.

She smiled, "Thank you, Mr. Kaiba."

Kaiba walked out of the room and into the hallway. Kisara followed once again and stopped in front of the door next to her rooms.

Kaiba pointed to it, "This is Mokuba's room." He continued walking down the hall and stopped at a double-door room, "and this is my room and office. They are connected."

"Wow," Kisara said absent-mindedly.

"The main rule here is to_ not_ disturb me when I'm in here," He stated cruelly, ice dripping from his voice, "understood?"

"Yes," She nodded, "understood."

He looked her up and down with icy eyes, "If I were you I'd go to my room and shower. You look like you need it." With that he swept past her and down the long hall.

She watched him walk away. She felt a strange twinge of emptiness as he left. There was something enthralling about him that made her want to get to know him better. Even though he was absolutely frightening, she knew that there was something behind all that, making her wanting to understand all there was to him. She shrugged her shoulders and took his advice, making her way into her room to shower.

* * *

It was just about two o'clock when Kisara had finished showering. She was well refreshed and feeling amazing. Her only problem was clothes. She had trouble finding clothing that fit her. Everything was too big! She was so skinning from being constantly malnourished that she would have to shrink the clothing at least twice to make them hug her right. She was worried that she wasn't going to be able to find a bra, however, she was surprised to find a few articles that seemed to work for her. Next, she found some underwear that worked. This surprised her due to the fact that the only two people that lived here were men. Kisara didn't question this, she was just thankful for everything that she was receiving today that nothing else truly mattered.

The only problem came when all of the pairs of pants and shirts decided to droop too low on her. How was she going to find something that worked? Maybe the Kaiba's had a skirt or a dress? But it was winter. Would it be weird to wear something so out-of-season? Possibly, but Kisara wanted something that fit.

She walked into the amazingly huge walk-in closet and began searching. She found a cream colored, sleeved, Valentino dress that was knee-length and a size two. Maybe this would work?

Pulling the expensive material over her head and shoulders she noticed how wonderfully the dress hugged her and how awesome it made her look. Smiling to herself in the mirror she was pleased with the clothing choice, however, she'd need to find some tights to keep her warm in winter. She rummaged through drawers and bins of clothing until she found a lone pair of black tights. Carefully sliding the tight fabric over her legs she discovered that the combination looked good. She chose to go on the hunt for shoes that would work for her, eventually finding a pair of gold, Jimmy Choo, flats.

After making herself look presentable, and glancing one last time in the mirror, Kisara walked out of her room in pursuit of Mokuba. He could still be watching the football game and she wanted to join him. Prancing down the stairs and passing the marvelous front door, Kisara noticed a figure standing just outside, close to the front entrance. She stopped at the window to examine who was outside. It was Kaiba, standing out in the cold snowstorm. What was he doing out there? Kisara carefully opened the front door and poked her head out. The smell filled her nostrils instantly, even with all of the snow and wind, Kisara could drastically smell cigarette smoke.

Kisara saw him shove a lighter and a box of Camel cigarettes into his dark gray coat pocket. He turned around and looked at her, cigarette hanging from his mouth he examined her with a raised eyebrow. "What're you doing?"

She didn't say anything. She just silently stood in the doorway.

"Shut the door!" He exclaimed, "I don't want my house to smell like smoke."

Kisara stepped outside, the borrowed Jimmy Choo's getting swallowed up by the snow that covered the porch. She shivered, rubbing her arms a few times before quickly shutting the door.

Kaiba looked away from her, puffing smoke from his mouth, and then swiftly taking another inhale. "What do you want?" He said. His voice was colder than the temperature outside.

"Uh," Kisara shivered a bit, lip quivering from the cold and from Kaiba's icy question, "I was just curious to see who was out here, that's all…."

More smoke filled the air as Kaiba exhaled.

Kisara walked up next to him, exposing more of herself to the elements. Her shivering increased, but she didn't care, she was curious about Kaiba. She wanted to know more about him. She found herself wondering what made him tick, and even though she wouldn't seem like it, Kisara found herself trying to pry out peoples life stories. The Kaiba's were no exception. Although the elder Kaiba seemed callous, she wasn't going to let that stop her from finding out who he really is. Kisara was shy at first, however, she was a people person, and nothing would stop her from snooping.

"You know that smoking is terrible for you," She noted, glancing up at him with an earnest smile.

He grunted and took a deep inhale, turning to her and blowing the smoke excess in her face.

"Ugh!" She coughed violently, using her hands to brush away the smoke that filled the air around her.

A devilish smirk appeared on Kaiba's face, "And you know that second hand smoke is just as bad for you," bringing his cigarette up to his lips, he took another long drag, "maybe you should leave, you know, for your lungs sake."

Kisara could hear the cockiness in his voice and decided to change the subject, "Does Mokuba know you smoke?" She asked slyly.

"Does it matter?" He countered.

"I'm sure he wouldn't be too pleased to know that you're risking your health," She scolded.

"Yes, and I'm sure he wouldn't be too happy knowing you're risking yours as well by being out here with me. Like I said, you should leave, before my smoke poisons you." He puffed another cloud of smoke her way. She caught wind of it and began coughing again. He let out a small chuckle.

After her coughing fit she spoke, "What's so funny?"

"The fact that you're reprimanding me about my health when you're the one outside without a coat in the middle of a snowstorm."

She changed the subject once again, "Why do you smoke?"

"Why do you always change the subject?"

She asked her question again, "Why do you smoke?"

"Its none of your business." Icicles were present in his tone of voice. He blew another smoke cloud her way. Kisara tried dodging it but the wind swept it upon her.

"Yuck! Ugh!" She coughed, her lungs becoming labored, "Would you please stop that?"

Kaiba frowned, "Would you leave me alone?"

"No," she gasped. Kisara continued to cough, still trying to catch her breath from all of Kaiba's smoke attacks.

He narrowed his eyes at her, "Why not?"

Kisara mimicked the coldness of his eyes and narrowed hers as she spoke, "Because I care."

He laughed in her face, smoke spilling out of the corners of his mouth, "Good joke."

She continued to glare up at him, "I'm serious."

He stopped laughing and stared back at her, "No you're not, quit acting like some sort of saint. I don't need you to _care_."

Her stare lightened as she gave Kaiba a small smile, "Actually, _you're_ the saint."

He just gave her a quizzical look, taking another drag.

"You let me stay here, gave me food, clothes, and shelter." Kisara genuinely grinned, her eyes were so sincere, "_You_ saved _me_, and that's why I care, Mr. Kaiba."

He snorted, a small amount of smoke escaping from his nose, "Save it, Kisara! I don't need to hear your bull about how thankful you are."

Kaiba was being so rude, however, this gave Kisara an edge and she wasn't going to let Kaiba get away with not giving her a 'your welcome.' Before Kaiba could take the last drag of his cigarette she quickly snatched it away from him and took the last drag for herself. Throwing the cigarette on the ground and smashing it into the snow with the bottom of her shoe, Kisara blew her puff of smoke directly into his face making Kaiba cough forcefully. After he was done coughing he glared at her with furious eyes.

A glisten of pleasure was evident in her mischievous eyes, "Now we're even. I just saved your life."

Kaiba was confused, angry with her for taking his cigarette, "From what?"

"Getting lung cancer," she began to walk back towards the mansion.

Kaiba laughed, "You are stupid," he reached into his pocket to fish out his cigarette pack, planning on lighting another just to piss her off, but his hand grasped onto nothing. His pack was gone? How? He hastily turned around and saw Kisara smirking at him, waving his pack of cigarettes in the air as she made her way into the mansion.

The front door shut, leaving a stunned CEO standing outside in the freezing blizzard with no cigarettes to keep him warm.

'_How did she _do_ that?'_

* * *

**A/N:** Hope you all enjoyed this! Merry Christmas! See you next chapter!


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